what kind of feeder & waterer do I need

[bellydancer]

When I had chickens as a child, we just threw the feed into the run and they ate it-- I don't even remember what we used to water them.

This city-dweller has just purchased a Chick-N-Hut and a run to attach and they're put together.

What sort of feeder and waterer do I need? Should I put it in the hutch or in the run? Inexpensive would be the way to go for me.

I'm planning on having 2-3 full sized hens.

I have 2 nest boxes-- but I think I'm only going to need one.

Where can I buy a feeder and waterer that would be inexpensive and work well? It occurs to me that if I don't get them before I get the chickens, I'll be feeding the chickens on my china...

 

[Newchickenmom&kids]

Kind of depends...they need to have access 24/7.....now having said that I know some coops don't have room for food and water inside...so it has to go outside. Also a lot of people make their own out of a variety of things! One thing is important...you need to have it positioned at the height of your smallest birds back....this will avoid a lot of waste!

 

[bellydancer]

If they need access 24/7, then it has to go in the hut. They're only going to be in the run when I'm at home... Unless I start feeling safer about the run... we'll see. But to start with, I guess it needs to go in the hut.

 

[Newchickenmom&kids]

Here's a link: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=10515

 

[Newchickenmom&kids]

If it's like the one here: http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/chick_n_hutch.html

I think you'll need to put the food and water in the run...did you get the run or "chick-n-pen" that comes with it??

 

[bellydancer]

I did get the Chick-n-Pen, too (blushes).

Can chickens drink out of pet feeders-- those plastic bottles with little pipes with a rolling ball in the end?

Is there anything I can get at the pet store, perhaps something that can hang on the outside of the hut, but which the chickens can access on the inside?

 

[Newchickenmom&kids]

I think I've seen some posts where they did say they can drink out of those waterers...but not sure. As for the feeder....I don't know of any that you can buy...most have made their own that they can fill from the outside of the coop.

I was just trying to help you until some of the more experienced chicken owners answered....unfortunately they have been too busy fighting (believe me they're not usually this bad....welll ok...maybe once a month!!)

Hopefully someone else on here will give you some answers...when their all done fighting that is!

 

[Catalina]

Hi - I'm not an experienced chicken expert

but I have two hopper-type rabbit feeders for my chickies. The kind that hang on a wire cage.
I'm only using one right now for their food, but when they get old enough I'll use the other one for oyster shells. And I ordered a pop-bottle waterer from McMurray, but it hasn't arrived yet.

 

[Catalina]

And this is what it looks like today -

 

[silkiechicken]

Yeah, for just two or three hens you can easily use a rabbit feeder from the pet store. As for water. For brooding purposes I teach mine to use the 32 ounce ferret water bottles with the ball at the tip. Just have to tap on it for the first two days till everyone gets a hang of it. Make sure they can move the ball though because some chicks cant peck hard enough to get water out of the spring ball type waterers. I use that for the time they are in the house and outside brooder. By the time they are a month old though, I switch to the standard poultry waterer or bowel on a wire grid as I don't care if the water spills on the ground. I do care if water spills in the brooder though. I have dirt floor pens.

One caution about the water bottle method, make sure EVERYBODY is drinking. If the chicks first learned how to drink out of a standard chicken water or dish, they will have an incredibly hard time learning the bottle. At least that's my experience anyways.